Tag: UFC 214

It’s hardly a secret that newly-crowned UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino and octagon commentator Joe Rogan aren’t the best of friends. Their long-standing beef hearkens back to the aftermath of November 2015’s UFC 193 when an admittedly slightly intoxicated Rogan made some off-color remarks about Justino having male anatomy as he flew back […]

Their long-standing beef hearkens back to the aftermath of November 2015’s UFC 193 when an admittedly slightly intoxicated Rogan made some off-color remarks about Justino having male anatomy as he flew back from Australia with UFC President Dana White and roast comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

But the scene has evolved greatly since then, with Justino winning the recently created women’s 145-pound belt with a dominant third-round stoppage over Tonya Evinger on the main card of July 29’s UFC 214, a bout after which Justino was obviously interviewed by Rogan himself. She took the high road during said interview, however, even though it was a ripe spot to rip into one of her harshest critics.

The dominant champion spoke up about the post-fight situation during a media appearance in Rio de Janeiro this week, telling MMA Junkie that she did indeed anticipate having him interview her, and planned accordingly:

“I was thinking, I said ‘Man, Joe Rogan is going to interview me. I’m going to make some ironic play with him. You know, make all (these) ideas before the fight.”

But even though she may have had ideas about what to say swirling in her head, Cyborg ultimately chose to take the high road and let her title-sealing win do the talking because it was response enough in her eyes:

“It was my moment there. I think him, at that moment, interviewing me, and Dana White putting the belt on my waist, that was a response in itself. I didn’t need to say anything. I think they reflected at that moment. I didn’t need to say anything and ruin a special moment for me.

“We did the interview normally as if he was just any other person there. I’m not saying that we’re going to become friends. But he was doing his job, and I was doing mine.”

Photo: Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports

Finally, with much of the criticism directed at Justino based on her prior failure for steroids in Strikeforce and a USADA test failure that was ultimately overturned earlier this year, Cyborg spoke up about how other fighters paint a picture of her as a PED-abusing monster in order to avoid having to fight her, noting that she made on mistake and has paid for it ever since:

“Ronda (Rousey) started this, to not fight me,” Justino said. “And then everybody said that. But the fans are smart. The fans know. I take the same test everybody does. It’s USADA. I do the same thing. If you call me a cheater, you think USADA is cheating. You think they’re doing wrong, their jobs, if you think I’m a cheater. Because I do the same as everybody.

“I’m the first athlete (who) signed with USADA one year before I fought in the UFC. When I fought in Curitiba (at UFC 198), I (had already been working) with USADA for one year. When I fought in Invicta I fought girls who didn’t have to take USADA tests. I did this to prove I’m a clean athlete. I made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes, but everybody likes to judge you.

“I think (De Randamie) wanted insurance to not fight me; she didn’t have an excuse. First (it was) about the doping, after (it was) the hands, after (it was) the doctor, after the family. I don’t know. Any day you’d interview her, she had an excuse.”

Ever since UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones beat Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, much of the talk surrounding “Bones’” next fight has been centered on his potential super fight with former UFC heavyweight and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar. There are certainly a number of roadblocks that […]

Ever since UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones beat Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214, much of the talk surrounding “Bones’” next fight has been centered on his potential super fight with former UFC heavyweight and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar.

There are certainly a number of roadblocks that have to be surpassed in order for the fight to take place, most notably Lesnar’s currently “frozen” USADA suspension which still has six months remaining on it due to the fact he “retired” after receiving a one-year for testing positive for clomiphene before and during his UFC 200 return versus Mark Hunt last year.

But the bout still seems like more of an eventuality than merely a possibility, and something that happened last night may support that theory in whole. During Monday’s (August 14, 2017) episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, Lesnar’s manager Paul Heyman hinted he could be returning to a ‘cage’:

Heyman spoke of a so-called conspiracy theory by RAW general manager Kurt Angle to rip Lesnar’s title from him, and if that indeed transpired, Lesnar would leave the WWE to compete elsewhere (quotes from MMA Mania):

“One of two things happens this Sunday at SummerSlam,” Heyman said. “One, the conspiracy by WWE General Manager Kurt Angle is successful and they rip the Universal title off of my client Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman leave the WWE. And if that is the case I assure you that you might as well lock this beast up in a cage!”

The “Cage” could mean WWE’s Hell in a Cell match in a cage, or obviously, his UFC return. Regardless, the WWE curiously edited out Heyman’s comment when it posted the segment on their official YouTube page soon afterward:

It’s fair to wonder what are the pro-wrestling leader’s reasons for why they would do such a thing after they allowed Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 in 2016, but overall, they probably don’t want their fans believing their biggest draw is going to lose his title and then leave the promotion, so they may have wanted to nip speculation in the bud.

Lesnar’s suspension means he cannot fight in MMA until early 2018, meaning he would have a decent amount of time to still ‘compete’ for the WWE after SummerSlam this month. With his WWE contract soon running out, that could potentially keep both sides happy, but it’s clear at this point that the WWE doesn’t want too much discussion of Lesnar once again leaving for MMA.

After losing his title via third round knockout in a rematch with bitter rival Jon Jones at UFC 214 last month, Daniel Cormier has remained relatively quiet, and at age 38, his fighting future is somewhat unclear. His longtime headcoach Javier Mendez, however, doesn’t believe that Cormier is done fighting just yet: “I’ve been in […]

After losing his title via third round knockout in a rematch with bitter rival Jon Jones at UFC 214 last month, Daniel Cormier has remained relatively quiet, and at age 38, his fighting future is somewhat unclear.

His longtime headcoach Javier Mendez, however, doesn’t believe that Cormier is done fighting just yet:

“I’ve been in contact with him every day, he’s fine,” Mendez told the Daily Star.

“He’s at crossroads like every great fighter, you know? Do they continue (or not)? But I’ve got a funny feeling we haven’t seen the end of Daniel, not in the fight world.”

Whether or not Cormier continues to fight is certainly up to him, but either way, Mendez confirmed that “DC” will remain connected to the sport in various ways:

“He’s still going to be commentating and he’s still going to involved as a coach at AKA. He’s the greatest wrestling coach that I’ve ever experienced.”

“So he’s going to be in my life until I’m done. So I haven’t seen the last Daniel.”

“But as a fighter, that’s on Daniel. But I think the world hasn’t seen the last of him either.”

Despite losing to Jones twice, Cormier is still one of the very best fighters in the world. There are still options for him at 205 pounds, or he could even make a jump back up to heavyweight where he began his career and holds an undefeated record.

Other than a brief statement online, we haven’t seen nor heard much from former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the weeks following his third-round knockout loss to Jon Jones in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, but the decorated fighter addressed many aspects of the fight and his future […]

Other than a brief statement online, we haven’t seen nor heard much from former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the weeks following his third-round knockout loss to Jon Jones in the main event of July 29’s UFC 214 from Anaheim, California, but the decorated fighter addressed many aspects of the fight and his future during an appearance today on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

And while he may be fighting forward with his eyes on a potential third fight against Jones, the 38-year-old Cormier also revealed some harrowing details about the moments directly after his second loss to pound-for-pound ruler ‘Bones.’

First, he said he didn’t hold any ill will towards octagon commentator Joe Rogan after Rogan took some heat for interviewing him right after he got knocked out, something he normally is against. Cormier also said referee John McCarthy gave him enough time to defend himself, but then unveiled the most concerning aspect of the loss, that he couldn’t remember the moments after he was defeated:

“I don’t hold any ill will towards him. I think he was doing his job. I don’t hold any ill will towards John McCarthy, I think John McCarthy gave me plenty of opportunities to say in this fight; I couldn’t. The Joe Rogan interview, I don’t know what happened. I still haven’t seen it, and honestly, Ariel, man I’ll be honest with you, I’m still missing time.”

Cormier apparently doesn’t remember talking to his longtime American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) associate Bob Cook, and remained unaware of what went on post-fight until he went into the back and was told he had to go to the hospital:

“Like, I don’t remember any of that. I don’t remember leaving the octagon. I don’t remember some of these photos where I was cryin’ and I was like, hugging Bob (Cook). I don’t remember any of that. I remember being in the back; I feel like I came out of a fog. I remember when I was in the back, they said, ‘You have to go to the hospital.’ I was like, ‘For what?’”

Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports

Cormier said that all told, he was missing about 10 minutes from after the fight, something that is certainly concerning given the current climate in sports surrounding CTE in athletes who take repeated blows to the head. The legendary fighter was understandably emotional after losing the biggest fight of his life, and he had to be told about his reaction in the seconds directly following the loss:

“I’m still missing time. I’m missing probably, I don’t know, 10 minutes. I remember talking to Dana and I said, ‘I’m sorry if I pushed you.’ Because I remember they said I pushed somebody, and I was like, ‘Really?’ Obviously, I do the TV stuff so I have friends in TV and they said that as they were watching me in the octagon, they could hear the microphone on Bob Cook and I was asking questions, asking why Dana yelled at me.Then they said I was in there and kinda like tearing up and then they said I looked up at the replay, that’s when I really broke down because I guess I saw what happened. I don’t recall that.”

“Then they said I was in there and kinda like tearing up and then they said I looked up at the replay, that’s when I really broke down because I guess I saw what happened. I don’t recall that.”

But even though it’s rough to see him admit he had essentially had been in a knockout-induced stupor and couldn’t remember much, Cormier stated that his tears and emotion simply showed how much the fight meant to him, so he wouldn’t do a thing differently:

“Tears and sadness means that it means something to you, and I would do the same thing again.”

Jon Jones has retaken his rightful place amongst the elite of the UFC’s 205-pound crop. In the main event of last month’s (Sat. July 29, 2017) UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) Jones downed now-former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier with a third round head-kick knockout to take back the title he never lost, and seemingly […]

Jon Jones has retaken his rightful place amongst the elite of the UFC’s 205-pound crop.

In the main event of last month’s (Sat. July 29, 2017) UFC 214 pay-per-view (PPV) Jones downed now-former UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier with a third round head-kick knockout to take back the title he never lost, and seemingly put an end to his rivalry with “DC.”

Following the win Jones called out former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for a superfight, however, given that “The Beast” still has months left on his suspension for a UFC 200 failed drug test, Jones will have to keep himself busy with some of the top ranked competitors in his own weight class. Enter No. 3-ranked Volkan Oezdemir, who picked up a first round knockout win over Jimi Manuwa earlier on the UFC 214 card.

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Oezdemir joined The MMA Hour earlier this week to discuss a possible match-up with Jones for the title down the line, and admitted he wasn’t that impressed with “Bones’” performance against Cormier (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“That was Jon Jones, that was his style, he was doing his stuff, but I didn’t see any new weapons,” Oezdemir said. “Of course, he probably didn’t get to display everything and yeah the fight was dominant, but DC had some good moments too. So you know, I wasn’t that impressed.”

Although he admits Cormier and Jones put on a great fight, he simply didn’t see any new tools from the Jackson-Wink product that caused him any concern:

“The fight was great, of course, but I was waiting to see Jon Jones fight different,” Oezdemir explained. “D.C. is also one of the best pound-for-pound fighters ever, so it was also a fight between two of the best guys, so that’s why I guess.”

Jones ate a good couple of uppercuts form Cormier early on in the fight that were able to knock Jones’ mouthpiece out of his mouth. Oezdemir speculated that if it were him who landed those shots on Jones’ chin, the 205-pound champ would have been taking an early nap:

“I think it’s very different power, D.C.’s stance is not made for striking,” Oezdemir said. “The way he stands, he’s not going to be able to generate a lot of power in his striking, so this would’ve been different. I have another style, I offer another style for Jon Jones, so when my punch lands, it’s going to be different.”

After knocking out Daniel Cormier at July 29’s UFC 214 to reclaim the light heavyweight title, Jon Jones called out former heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. And while that would certainly be a lucrative fight, it doesn’t seem as if it’ll take place in the near future. With that being said, Jones is […]

After knocking out Daniel Cormier at July 29’s UFC 214 to reclaim the light heavyweight title, Jon Jones called out former heavyweight champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar. And while that would certainly be a lucrative fight, it doesn’t seem as if it’ll take place in the near future.

With that being said, Jones is expected to defend his 205-pound strap next, and a rematch with No. 1-ranked Alexander Gustafsson appears to make the most sense. Recently speaking on the topic, Jones admitted that it was an ‘option’:

“Every fight gets my blood flowing,” Jones told MMAjunkie. “I know how important it is to never underestimate anyone. I get up for every one. I think the Gustafsson fight is an option for us right now. We’re just going to wait and see. We’re weighing our options right now.”

Jones and Gustafsson first fought at UFC 165 in Sept. 2013 in a bout that Jones won via unanimous decision, although he was pushed to his limits in an entertaining and unforgettable five round war. More recently, “The Mauler” has picked up back-to-back victories over Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira to land back in title contention.

Having spent the majority of the previous two years on the sidelines, Jones is hoping to compete once more before the end of the year. Given that he’s a native of New York, UFC 217, which will take place on Nov. 4 from Madison Square Garden, seemed like a possible landing spot for his next fight, but he revealed that he has little interest in fighting in New York at this moment:

“To be honest, I love being from New York, but my whole thoughts and dreams of fighting in New York – they’re kind of starting to fade,” Jones said. “Looking at it from a business standpoint, it’s not a really good idea to pay 9 percent to the state of New York off the top just for fighting here. With 9 percent of every $1 million, that will add up real quick.

“I realize people from all over the world are going to watch it, whether it’s in Vegas or Canada or wherever. It would have been great to be the first person to fight at Madison Square Garden, but now that it’s happened and everything … I want to do it eventually, but it’s not something that’s a dream the way it used to be.”